Monthly Archives: November 2024

Turning The Temperature Up. 28th November

Over the last week or so, Mick had noticed that Oleanna’s heating hadn’t been coming on when we’d expect it to. Snow in Goole as seen from our webcam suggested it had been quite cold, along with the sensor in the engine bay. This needed checking out. So on Thursday Mick caught the 9am train down to Goole, arriving 20 minutes late due to signal problems near Brough, £2 back on his fare.

I was left in Scarborough to bring in the weeks shopping and await the delivery of a new cooker hood for the house, along with chasing up quotes to replace our lean to.

It was chilly down in Goole. Mick opened up Oleanna and fired up the heating. He thinks that the temperature sensor he’d added a couple of years ago isn’t working. This connects to the Aldi Boiler and because we’ve never got round to drilling holes through cupboards and drawers, it gets positioned out side the electrics cupboard when we’re not onboard. There is a thermostat on the Aldi boiler controller, but that sits inside the electrics cupboard where it tends to be that bit warmer than the cabin. The solution for now is to leave the electrics cupboard open so the boiler controller will hopefully notice if it gets below a certain temperature and then fire up the central heating. Our gas boiler has the advantage of being able to work off electric when we’re hooked up, so there’s no danger of us running out of gas and the gas can be left turned off in the locker.

In Scarborough I somehow missed the delivery driver. Or they didn’t even bother to knock on the door, maybe not even come up the street. Delivery to be attempted again on Friday.

Tilly and I spent time tidying up the bedroom. Our listing on the SJT digs list was in need of updating, ready to go out to actors coming to Scarborough in 2025. Some new photos were needed, the original one of our bedroom was quite pallid and dull. With a jollier duvet cover on the bed this would make a difference. I just needed to tidy up and keep Tilly out of view. All easier said than done. The sun shone, reflections showed laundry baskets piled high with our possessions on the landing. Tilly managed to get inside the wardrobe and flash her white bits through the glass, but after numerous photos we succeeded. I now just have to get the accounts up to date to check we’re charging a suitable amount.

Mick ran Oleanna’s engine. Then checked the temperature of the battery terminals where he’d just recently shortened the chunky cables to the Bully Boy batteries. The new crimps were holding well and the temperature was good.

Mick went to find Alastair, who was busy welding. We’d left several jobs for Alastair to do for us, so Mick just wanted to check in. Today could have been an oil change day, removing that job from the list, but it was too cold so Mick left it on the Alastair list, hopefully next week.

**When we get a repaint, we don’t want the same to happen again**

When getting quotes for a repaint I’d been asked by one place if we could take photos of the locker lids at the stern. Our stern lockers have wooden tops that slide and lift off. When Oleanna was new we quickly noticed we couldn’t help but mark the paintwork opening and closing the lockers. We keep all sorts in them, the tiller, spikes, chains and nappy pins are in there they tend to be opened twice a day when we’re cruising. The lids were reduced in size a fraction to try to help with this, but after 8 years the marks are embarrassingly bad. A suggestion made by Paul Balmer to reduce the lid size and have a wooden surround that they sit in is a good one, so any bumps happen to the wood rather than the paintwork. Mick took photos, lots of them.

His next job was to find the big container of Fertan we’d bought back in April. It took some hunting down as it had been beavered away in the port side bow locker, paints tend to be kept on the starboard side. Then some Uhu glue was wanted back at the house and I knew exactly where a couple of tubes of it were on the boat.

All jobs for the day had been ticked off, Oleanna’s cabin warmed up a touch, it was time for Mick to lock up and head back to Scarborough.

This week has been all about cake! Great British Bake Off final, whilst I knitted away at a pair of ‘Cake’ socks using a cake of yarn I’d just wound. Then a cherry cake was made to use up some frozen fruit from the freezer. On Wednesday Frank must have heard me cracking the eggs from two miles away. Whilst the cake was baking I got a message asking if the kettle was on and if there was any cake! The recipe said to leave it to completely cool, but needs were such that we consumed the first slices whilst still warm. A second slice was had to see if it improved as it cooled. Thursday Frank returned, quality control of the now fully cooled cake was needed. Our consensus, it was crunchier and tastier whilst still warm.

Out on the canal network there has been plenty of water. In recent years we’ve spent November on the South Oxford. The amount of rain that fell a week ago had Banbury turn into a lake, the new moorings by the new cinema and Tooleys up by a foot, the bus station under water. Even higher up the canal Cropredy found itself become an island all roads cut off and the 300 boats moored at the marina needing their mooring ropes loosening overnight. Levels have been high elsewhere, towpaths being over topped and navigations closed, they are only just starting to return to normal levels. I hope everyone and their boats remained safe after Storm Bert.

On another note should you have ever stopped in Berko and enjoyed a pint or watched a Mikron show at The Rising Sun, take a look at this link. They are seeking financial assistance to help pay legal debts they have incurred over the last three years after a noise complaint was made by a neighbour. We of course do not know the other side of the story, but it would be a truly miserable world if such pubs ended up closing.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 trains, 0 oil change, 1 slightly warmer boat, 1 caput sensor, 2 locker lids, 1 bottle fertan, 2 tubes Uhu! 1 upstaging cat, 50th pair of socks, 2/3rds cake gone within 1 hour, 1 sunrise appointment, 54 Christmas cards, only a few hours left to add your name to the sockathon list, 2 sock shots from New Zealand, £1450!!!

Socking Along

Well my fundraising for Dementia UK has reached £1360 which is absolutely brilliant. THANK YOU!! And there is still some sponsorship money to come in for the 53 pairs of socks in my original challenge. Yes a year has 52 full weeks and knitting a pair of socks a week throughout 2024 would mean that I could stop when I reached 52 pairs. But that would leave a couple of days overhanging and as the 53rd pair will be for someone who’s birthday happens to be right at the end of the year I obviously had to include them.

However in the last few weeks I’ve had quite a bit of interest from a Boat Women group on Facebook, people wanting to be added to a waiting list. Then whilst at a friends house the other evening I had requests for 3 more pairs. So currently I have an extra 22 pairs to knit, not all this year I hasten to add! I might allow myself the first week in January off.

I’ve decided to keep my list open until the end of November for anyone else wanting to sponsor a pair. I don’t want anyone to miss out and it would be great to be able to use up more of the wonderful yarn that was donated by indie dyers.

If you thought you’d missed out and would like a pair, speak up NOW! Or forever have chilly toes.

I’ll need your shoe size and a word to base your socks on. This could be anything, a season, mood, era, colour, just so long as it’s not blue as I’ve just about run out! You could even request socks to match your boats livery. I’m happy to add your name to my list, then get in touch shortly before I’m about to cast on the first stitch for you to make a donation to my Just Giving page. Mental reminder to self, must extend the closing date of my page.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/pip-leckenby-1704636205453?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fpip-leckenby-1704636205453&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share

Pair 49 are currently on my needles so as it’s week 47 (I think) I’m a couple of pairs ahead of myself. So there are nine days left to put in your request to be added to my list. More photos of finished socks have been added to the Sockathon page

Anyhow, boat news. On Tuesday our webcam showed us that the world of Goole had gone white with snow. We’d been expecting some here in Scarborough too, however it missed us. Mick can tell how cold the engine bay is whilst sitting in front of our fire, the temperature had dropped to 2C.

On Wednesday morning we woke to a little dusting of the white stuff. Whilst we lay in bed with our morning cuppas Mick had an alarm from Oleanna saying the power was off. It came back on briefly, but went off again, all before the marina was open. Was it just Oleanna or a more wide spread power outage?

I checked all the Goole facebook pages I’d joined when there was the breach on the Aire and Calder, no mention there. Should Mick jump on the next train to Goole to check things out? The next train was cancelled.

Just gone 10am he gave the Marina a call. It wasn’t just Oleanna, Mick got to talk to Laird and he was having difficulty getting into his office due to the lack of electricity. Mick quickly left him to get on with things, no point in getting a train, our inverter would inform us when the power came back on, this was 3:15pm.

The heavens opened in Scarborough and the world became a very white one, over a proper inch, maybe even two fell during the morning. Very glad we didn’t need to go anywhere. Once it had stopped Mick swept the paths in front of the house. Tilly headed out to assist, but soon changed her mind. I couldn’t see my paws and She’d suggested I should get them painted a different colour, maybe a dark red! I wasn’t up for that. Maybe she should knit me some bright socks to wear out in the snow. I don’t fancy trying to put them on you though Tilly!

The image for our Christmas card has been chosen and worked on, a little bit different from past years. Veg box ordered, Duck ordered, Christmas booze arrived. I’m going to run out of things to do in preparation for Christmas before November is out! Well that’s what comes of not doing panto and not being able to get on with a decorating a dining room due to having a lodger.

Another visit to the SJT last week to see the touring production of John Godber’s Perfect Pitch. The play was commissioned back in 1998 by the SJT and premiered as part of the 10 x 10 Season. It was also my first design for The Round. It played in rep through the summer with Comic Potential (Alan Ayckbourn) and Love Songs For Shop Keepers (Tim Firth). A couple going caravanning for the first time to a site just south of Scarborough, having their idyllic weekend broken by a couple who pull up close by. The play has been updated and sections rewritten meaning the caravan can now be just off stage, saving on set build and touring costs. Back in 1998 we also had real grass that required watering and grow lamps on through the night to keep it alive. I’ve now seen several productions and still no-one has beaten John Branwell in the part of Grant.

More quotes have come in for both boat and house. One boat yard’s excuse for not having got back to me in two weeks was ‘That boat doesn’t need repainting!‘ Well that’s because the photos I sent were when she was a matter of weeks old, she’s done at least 7000 miles and most probably over 5000 locks since then. Still to hear back with a price from them, think he’s already lost the job.

Anyhow, keep warm everyone, well until the weekend when we’ll be leaving doors open and admiring the blue bells coming up!

0 locks, 0 miles, 53 to 75, 5 house quotes, 6 boat quotes, 2 more to come in, 1 appointment, 3 Morse episodes, 1 extreamly bored cat, 1 focaccia, 2 veg boxes, Tilly Too keeping the snow outside, 2 boaters nearly ready for Christmas.

Bully Boy Battery Cables. 8th November

(Tech Post by Mick)

When I installed the new LiFePO4 lithium batteries back in the spring of this year, I had ordered cables that were too long. Better too long than too short! At the time, I didn’t have the right tool for cutting the big chunky cables (35mm²) nor a tool to crimp new terminals onto shortened cables. In my 40 year career in telecoms and IT, I didn’t work with thick wires, the wires I normally dealt with were only 0.2mm². So I left the battery cables long and tucked the surplus away in a corner of the engine bay.

Monitoring the charging of the batteries over the summer I noticed that the batteries rarely get above 27.3 volts while charging from the alternator and the current, whilst it starts off high at 80 amps or so, quickly drops to 30 amps and stays there for hours. The domestic alternator on Oleanna is a Beta original 24 volt 100 amp. Here is an example from a long day (for us) cruising. Ignore the big downward spikes, they are where we put the kettle on.

My suspicion is that the charging specification of the alternator doesn’t get up to the 28.4 volts that are required to quickly fully charge LiFePO4 batteries. But that is more complicated to deal with so as a first step I thought I’d shorten the cables. I purchased a pair of cutters and a crimping tool as well as some terminals. Tools (and pictures) from https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/

Equipped with these tools I took a train ride down to Goole. I turned off the inverter and disconnected the incoming 230v supply. I turned off all the DC systems at the isolators. Both domestic batteries got disconnected at the terminals and from the positive bus bar. I pulled back the spare cables from the engine bay to the inside battery that is located in a cupboard just through the bulkhead, measured how much I needed to connect, took the plunge and cut the cables. I took just under a metre or so off each cable.

**Insulation cut back and heat shrink sleeving attached**

Time to repeat for the negative cable.

It was then on to the battery in the engine bay. The same length of each cable was cut off, stripped back, terminal applied, crimped, and heat shrunk.

I reconnected all the cables, thought about things for a while and turned everything on. No smoke or sparks so that was good.

The engine was started while I monitored the current going into the batteries.

The values were slightly higher than before but not hugely. Time will tell but for now that will do. I am going to investigate external alternator regulators to try to boost the charging voltage. A Mastervolt Alpha Pro III is top of the list but further investigation is required. I’m also wondering if I shouldn’t get a marine electrician to look at it and do the job.

Time to pack up and go home.

Since last posting we have enjoyed bonfire night in Scarborough. I, Pip now, have spent many of the last six years being busy on panto, normally painting the floor. Only able to hear the occasional pop bang whizzzzzzz of fireworks from Chippy stage, so this year I was determined to see some.

Scarborough has a tradition that people light fires on the beaches and along with that come fireworks, no need to go to the organised display. So we caught the Coastliner bus to Peasholme Park and walked down to the Corner to see how much beach close to high tide had left in the North Bay.

There were hundreds of people, several fires all huddled onto the 20ft of sand. Plenty of people had fireworks, just how much do they spend?! But it did mean we got quite a good display once we’d decided to move away to a safer distance. There seemed to be a bit of a duel going on between the bottom of the castle cliff and up by the beach huts, We stopped to say hello to Freddie and check he was alright, before walking around Marine Drive where fishermen sat on the accropodes with head torches and luminous lines on their rods.

**The South Bay with the Grand Hotel in the background**

Round in the South Bay there was more beach with a huge fire. People huddled round as others set up rockets facing out towards the sea, a bit more of a comfortable space and the road to be able to watch from. The beach was strewn with spent fireworks, just how much had gone up in glittering whizzing bangs? Certainly none of them had come from the sort of selection box I grew up with. The Scarborough seafront more than made up for the last few years.

Quotes have been coming in for house and boat jobs. Most of them twice what we thought they’d be. Some careful consideration will be needed before we make our minds up.

**The cavolo nero has lasted us over a week**

Veg boxes have started again.

Mick has been tidying up the garden and making use of some two year matured compost, we’ll see how the wild flowers like it.

A visit to the Stephen Joseph Theatre to see The Whitby Rebels, the true story of Captain Jack Lammiman who took a crew of unlikely misfits on a voyage to the Arctic. Three of the actors are old friends so it was great to see them, they had the better parts in a show that we weren’t too convinced about, it felt as though several ideas had been put together and none of them managed to take the lead. But it’s a local story and the audience seemed to enjoy it along with the huge set.

A day was spent in the kitchen, a second go at the chicken, leek, ham dauphinoise pie. This was tasty but as I’d used soya cream it was nowhere near as tasty as when I’d used double cream. I’ll write the recipe up if anyone fancies a go at this self indulgent pie!

**Left to Right.**
**Mary Berry crunchy top, yummy pie, River Cottage GF super nice lemon drizzle cake**

There was to be a Leckenby get together and my job was to do pudding. A request was made that there should be a takeaway version for Josh to take back to University. So one gluten free posh lemon drizzle cake and a gluten filled lemon crunchy topped cake for Josh were made.

We caught the Coastliner across to York where we got a full tour of the London Leckenby’s holiday let that they have invested in this year. Andrew and I grew up in York and it’s been 11 years since we sold our family home, so it’s rather nice to be able to meet up in the city once again. Andrew and Jac have been taking advantage of gaps in bookings to have a few days in York and putting their mark on the flat. Standard pictures of York have been replaced with pencil sketches Dad did of the bar walls, I may even sneak in a painting of my own.

The letting agents had advised them to deck the flat with Christmas cheer as guests expect such things from now until Christmas, so illuminated trees were already in position. Left over baubles were handed over to me to make a wreath for the flat door, good job I’d taken my glue gun with me expecting I’d be given a making job.

A leg of lamb was enjoyed along with lots of wine to celebrate us all being together in York. Plans are afoot for a special get together next year, we may bring our own accommodation on Oleanna, though. The sofa bed was okay but has been put higher up the list of things to be replaced in the flat, we’d been guinea pigs. A lovely evening with the London Leckenbys and a very early start to Christmas. I hate to think what Granny would have thought!

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 trains, 4 shorter cables, 2 bays of fireworks, 3 buses, 1 very wide boat, 2 boxes of things for Oleanna, 1 wreath, 2 lemony cakes, 1 special pie, 1 Leckenby get together, 1 river view, just.

A Ride In The A. 3rd November

A document listing requirements for Oleanna’s repaint has been compiled. An order made for primer, undercoat, replacements and filters placed. The living room rug keeps on being murdered (the fish is innocent by the way!). My work room has been reclaimed from items that just get dumped up there ever year. Drawings and dimensions done for various things about the house. Front flower bed trimmed back, the brown wheelie bin been filled twice and our back passage is now clear!

Frank came round once he’d heard there was some parkin to eat, he did a good job of eating several pieces before leaving. We were left with a few pieces to keep us going for another day or two, however it was all gone before it had had chance to reach it’s full stickiness potential.

Sunday, after a cooked breakfast, we had a walk down to say hello to the South Bay. Not a bright blue skied day, but at least it wasn’t raining. Plenty of dog walkers enjoying the tide being out and leaving plenty of sand to run around on. The sea had scoured away the beach by the Spa wall revealing weathered wooden planks, we’ve not noticed these before. Then because of my knee and Mick deciding that now he’s a pensioner we’d ride the cliff lift up to the Esplanade. Apparently he’s never ridden in one before!

Monday and Mick had arranged to get a lift with his friend Mark down to Goole. Mark recently has bought himself a rather lovely car, an MGA, built the year he was born. If the weather was fine they would drive down to Goole in the ‘A’. The hood sits too low for Mark so he doesn’t put it up, taking waterproofs might be a sensible precaution. If they knew it was going to rain they’d go in a far more modern vehicle.

At 11am there was a ‘Beep Beep!‘ as Mark drove up the street. Wow, what a beautiful car. Only just enough space for two and Mick’s laptop and a couple of things were better put by his feet than in the boot. ‘Can’t come in, don’t want to stop the engine as it might not start again!’. Mark’s face certainly that of a cat that had got the cream.

A quick look around the outside and then Mick worked out how to open the door, no exterior handles, before concertina-ing himself into the passenger seat. With a whooosh of exhaust fumes they sped off, Goole bound.

They chose to go up Staxton Hill (quite a steep hill up onto the Wolds) and through Sledmere down to Goole, travelling in style. On arriving at the marina Mick checked that the A would be alright going over the severe speed bumps which are followed by potholes out on the lane. These were negotiated and in through the gate. It’s hard not to notice such a car, she turns heads, so Mark got lots of comments from people.

Mick got on with the jobs in hand on Oleanna. Setting the heating thermostat to come on at 4C. Switched on the security camera that I’d efficiently turned off last week. Riveted a popper to the bow so the cratch cover would close fully and not get whipped up by wind. All the time Mark kept the engine running.

He did turn the engine off briefly so they could have a walk around the marina. Thankfully she started up again using a bit of wire (the solenoid is faulty) then time for another comment from someone before they were back on the road heading northwards.

I’d guesstimated that with our normal journey time to Goole being around 1 hr 30, a round trip without stopping for too long would be a bit over 3 hours. Mick ended up having just over ten minutes doing jobs before they were on their way back over the Wolds. No time for photos of any sort. They pulled up outside the house at 2:45pm after sitting in traffic and being noticed on their way back into Scarborough.

A very nice drive out for the two of them. Being able to have a catch up shouting at each other as they went and thankfully the heater worked. Mick definitely enjoyed himself, but he’s reassured me that he won’t be saving up for one himself, we’ll stay with our life at 4mph, after all what would Tilly have to say about it!

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 beach walk, 1st tram ride, 1 Christmas card short list, 1 boat quote email, 1 house quote email, 1 saveloy, 2 yolks, 1 nice trip out, 0 handles, 4 warm feet, 10 minutes, 0 fertan, pair 46 cast on, 1 very bored cat!

Shh! Don’t Tell Tilly. 29th October

Viking Marina

Our return to Scarborough was perfectly timed so that after all the unpacking we could enjoy an evening walk in Peasholm Park. We weren’t the only ones to enjoy Moonlight on the Lake, there were at least another 10,000 people who, over two days, walked round the lake appreciating the lanterns and illuminations created by our friends from Animated Objects. In the last few weeks I’d been a little concerned as Dawn had been very quiet on social media, this was the reason why. So many lanterns to make, from Dolphins, houses in the old town, the wonderful swans, music from a local harpist and Elvis impersonator. Plus we got chance to catch up with various friends who were all there ready to start dismantling the display. We’d have lent a hand too if it wasn’t for my knees.

Then it was time to remind ourselves that we are theatrical digs landlords and make sure everything was ship shape ready for our latest lodger to arrive. We seem to attract the baddies from the Christmas shows at the SJT, this is our second year of hosting the evil ones, although David does get to play several other characters as well in Aladdin.

The list of jobs to do at the house is long, emails and phone calls have been made and we’re hoping to hear back from people rather than just being ignored as seems to be the way of things nowadays. I’m giving a few people the excuse that it’s half term and hope to hear from them next week. The hunt for a gardener continues.

I’m wanting to do some decorating, but I don’t as yet know how my knees will cope climbing ladders. Paint has been selected for the room influenced by the pantomime cloth that is on the wall. There will be a gap of three weeks between lodgers at the beginning of next year when I’ll see how I get on, if I do okay then I’ve my eyes set on another room.

The jobs list for Oleanna is also quite long. When we left last week we were under pressure to move Tilly as stress free as possible. This meant we didn’t do various jobs that need doing when leaving the boat for a period of time. Cleaning the fridge, freezer and cooker to start with. A trip back was needed. The last few years Mick has done this on his own as I’ve been busy on panto.

Double handed and in a car, not reliant on the train, we’d be able to do more, a car was hired, a list made of things we’d forgotten or it would be nice to have, we also managed to remember to take it with us!

Today the journey was vastly different to that made on Friday. Firstly it was quiet, no MEOWING! Secondly the sun was out, no fog today. We chose to drive through Sledmere to see how golden the trees were. Most of the leaves have fallen now, but it was still rather lovely.

**Time to have a tidy and tick some jobs off the list**

Oleanna sat on her mooring, looking a little sad without her smile. Unseasonably warm we were able to have all the doors open, Tilly not being around also helped. Mick headed off to find Alastair with a list of jobs for him this winter, thankfully he was about rather than having been called out to a brake down. Engine mounts, fuel filters, stern gland and most importantly if he could make us a new connector to our yellow water tank. The one we have is loosing it’s thread and therefore not sealing properly.

I made a start on the weeding. Cleaning out the window channels. Last year I’d managed to do all windows apart from those in the galley. They’ve not been touched since and grass and moss was starting to set in, we’d have a lawn soon if I did nothing about it.

Each window was lifted out, the channels cleaned out, the soft bit that the glass sits on is where the dirt collects and was really quite muddy! Then the drain holes were cleared, important over the winter. The glass given a good clean inside and out before being put back in.

The galley windows are a touch more difficult as they both slide and are not removable. The window above the cooker was accessible from both sides, but leaning over the cooker I must have pressed and turned one of the knobs by accident. I didn’t notice the smell immediately but once I did Mick had also smelt it. Thankfully with the boat being very well ventilated we shouldn’t have a problem. Gas is heavier than air so can sink, lingering in your bilges.

The offside gally window was much harder. Mick positioned himself on the gunnel of Oleanna and our neighbours boat. He ended up kneeling down to reach the mossy bits and flick out the worst. This did require me to pull our neighbours boat in so he didn’t end up doing the splits. Both boats are quite loosely tied due to the level in the marina fluctuating with ships coming and going in the docks. The inside glass was cleaned, but the outside will have to remain dirty for a while longer. It’ll all be filthy before we’re back anyway with the dust that Goole creates.

The portholes got new cushioning on their supports, a new bit of weed hatch tape. This means they all now close properly, in fact they are now quite a tight fit and need pushing down to be able to close them. Much better than them falling open all the time.

The galley blinds have always been awkward to clean, most probably because we don’t do it often enough! If we could take them back to the house then that might make it easier. I spotted that they had brackets which with the assistance of a knife swivelled to release them. They’ll get a good soapy clean back at the house.

**Tilly Too is also headed back for a wash**

Mick cleaned out the multifuel stove and when I was finished with galley windows he moved on to clean the hob, fridge and freezer. The stove looks like it can last another year before being spruced up, I’ve not been cooking on it so much this year as it’s been so mild.

**It really isn’t that exciting back there!**

The sofa was pulled out, Shhhhhh, don’t tell Tilly! revealing the secret passageway to it’s fullest. What lurks in there? A cupboard door that used to be in front of the washing machine, which just got in the way. The left over foam from when I made an infill cushion for the dinette and a roll of sleeping mat which we bought to try to insulate the porthole frame above the bed. The mat will return to the house, the foam turned out to be a good thing to kneel on, so will stay onboard. Hoovering up behind the sofa meant a computer mouse and a knitting stitch marker resurfaced, along with plenty of pens and pencils that get filed there by Tilly for safe keeping.

Outside things were happening. The pot holes alongside the parking area and Oleanna were cleared of water. Then a JCB arrived with some tarmac/ stuff. A chap filled the holes, brushed it flat. He was then followed by a roller to flatten it all out. Blimey it vibrated so much our flue reverberated. Hopefully this will mean we don’t return to Oleanna covered in mud this winter.

Mick took some time to program the invertor into winter mode. The yellow water tank was emptied, contents taken to the elsan. The solids bucket was only in use for a few days so can sit and do it’s thing. The other buckets have been taken to the house already and added to our compost bin that is currently cooking. The other is at least 18 months old and has been deemed compost suitable for the flower beds, when they’ve been tidied up.

Then it was time for us to close everything up. Switch lots of things off including the water pump, turn the tap between the pump and taps off and open all the taps, leaving the shower head laying in the shower tray. Water system winterised. I flicked switches off in The Shed. Last rubbish to the bins and use of shore based facilities. Also time to admire the orange sky before setting off back to Scarborough.

Paint for the horn and tunnel light bracket were packed to bring back with us. Now we’ll need to hunt round the chandlers for suitable replacements.

We’d just closed the marina gate behind us when I went through the list of things we’d needed to do. ‘Damn!’ We hadn’t turned the gas off in the gas locker. Mick popped back and did the honours, we were now safe to head for home. All sorted.

Well except on reaching home we realised I’d turned off too many things in The Shed, turning the camera off that the spiders like to take rides on. Plus the heating hasn’t had the thermostat set to come on when it gets really cold. So another visit will be needed soon.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 hire car, 10,000 plus viewers, 1 bored cat already! 1 new lodger, 1 picnic by the hatch, 4 big windows, 3 portholes, 2 sliders, 1 stove, 1 hob, 1 fridge, 1 freezer, 11 potholes, 1 secret shhhh! 1 thumping roller, 1 empty wee tank, 0 camera, 0 heating, 2 tins paint, 4 quotes sought, 5 more to go, 1 still bored cat.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna